The Desert Werewolf
by Ktkat9
Summary: One-shot. Years ago, Atem's mate was killed by a werewolf. He swore he'd never allow another werewolf to cause him so much pain again, but when his son brings home an abandoned pup, will he open his heart to it? Or will this werewolf just end up hurting him too?


Yami yawned and stretched, digging his paws into the soft sand and cracking his back. It was night and he was hungry. Glancing back at the cave he and his father shared, he padded off silently into the dark. With any luck, he would find something for them to eat. He and his father were nekos living in an oasis in the desert. They were both able to transform into panthers, black as night.

Yami padded across the shadowed earth, sniffing here and there; straining his ears for any sound. Some hint that he and his father would not be going hungry tonight. When he heard something, he instantly zeroed in on its location. A creature, not very big, by the sound it made, was just beyond a small grove of trees. Not very big was good. It meant it wasn't a predator. He lowered his body closer to the ground and crept forward. Slowly. Just a few more paces. He paused one last time, just to make sure it hadn't heard him. A second later, he sprang towards it, claws extended.

At the last possible moment, he stumbled to a halt. The creature was a human- no. A Halfling. Like him. It appeared to be a child, too young to be out on its own, especially in the middle of the desert. By the looks of it, though, that's just how it was. Alone.

It looked male, maybe just a year old- no; he had to correct himself again. Halflings reached maturity faster than humans. This young one couldn't be more than a week old. He was gasping for breath and, as Yami realized after a moment, his eyes were staring blankly at nothing. He wasn't going to live much longer if left alone. Sure, he was hungry, but he couldn't eat another Halfling. Carefully, he shifted to his human form and took the last step separating him from the kid. Kneeling down, he slipped his arms under the small form as carefully as possible and lifted him up. As soon as he saw what had been under him, however, the neko nearly lost his grip. A tail. But not a neko one. No. This kid was a werewolf.

'I should just pretend I never saw him.' Yami thought, paralyzed. 'I'll put him back and he can finish dying in peace.' Slowly, as if the creature in his arms had suddenly become a deadly viper, the neko lowered it back to the sand he had found it on. But before he could pull his arms away, the small Halfling opened his eyes and looked right at him. For a split second, their eyes connected and Yami froze. There was no glazed-over expression in his face. He looked . . . happy. Then the split second ended and the creature lost consciousness, rolling slightly into his only source of warmth; the neko holding him.

Yami sighed in defeat. 'Dad is going to kill me.' But he stood and, as gently as he could, brought the Halfling with him.

Yyyyy

Atem dropped the jackrabbit he had caught in shock. He knew the smell coming from his cave; werewolf. One of those beasts was inside his home, maybe even with his son. A snarl rose in his throat and he tore through the entrance. With a reaction time that would have made him proud in any other situation, Yami transformed and lunged at him.

"Dad, stop."

"Yami, there is a werewolf in here-," he couldn't believe his eyes when they landed on the tiny form on the ground. Scattered around it were their meager medical supplies. "What in Ra's name is going on here?" He growled, staring daggers into his nervous son.

"Dad, please. I found him while I was out hunting. He was alone and would have died if I didn't do something."

"So you brought it _here_? Do you have any idea what that thing _is_?" Atem was beyond angry. Years prior, one of these . . . beasts had murdered his mate, Yami's mother. "Get rid of it."

His son looked up at him in shock. "But- but he'll die-,"

"Then so be it. You know what his kind is capable of. And besides, by the looks of him, he's the runt of his litter. His own pack didn't even want him."

"Well then _I_ do." Yami stood his ground, a bit surprised at his own words. "I know what his kind is capable of. Murder, destroying whatever gets in their path. But aren't _we_ capable of doing that, too? And the humans? Mom used to say that the Gods made us different so that we could prove that the monsters and demons aren't identified by how they were born, but by how they act. Yeah, the werewolves are monsters. I know that. They . . . took her from us." He cleared his throat and barreled on ahead before his father could say anything. "But I hear the people from the village call _us_ monsters, too. They say that we are just bloodthirsty animals, and we'll kill their livestock and their children and whatever else we can find. I don't want to be a monster, Dad, but if I just sit here and do nothing to save him from dying, I will be."

"He's a werewolf. You can't-,"

"Does he look like a murderer to you? He can't even lift his head!" Yami glared right back at his father, stare never once wavering.

Without a word, Atem turned and left the cave. He didn't go far, though. Just up the hill above his home a ways. There was no way he was going to leave his only family alone with one of _them_ , but he needed to think. He knew his son was right, he couldn't just leave a pup that young to die, let alone ask his son to do so. But the pup was still a werewolf. What if he survived? He would grow. He would _become_ one of them. One of those bloodthirsty murderers. He sighed and leaned his head back, taking in all the night stars. "You really had to tell him that, didn't you?" There was no response, but he smiled softly anyway, knowing what she would have said. "He's like you, you know. Sometimes too much like you. When he sets his teeth in something, nothing can make him change his mind." Another minute was spent gazing across the skies, before he dropped his head. "I'm leaving the blame on you for this one, I'll have you know. But I'll take it a day at a time. The instant he proves himself to be one of _them_ , I'll put him down myself." He headed back down to his cave entrance and saw Yami struggling to coax some water down the runt's throat. "Stand aside."

Yami whirled around and moved in between his father and the Halfling uncertainly. "Dad,"

"If you're going to take care of the runt, you might as well do it right. Now step aside."

Yyyyy Four Months Later

"Yugi, what did I just tell you? Keep your body low and move silently. You don't want your prey to hear you." Yami hissed at the young Halfling.

"Trying." He whined. Yugi, as Yami had decided to call him, was still pretty small, (for a werewolf) and had yet to master speaking. But he was a quick study and was now trying to hunt his first meal. Over the past few months, he had grown stronger. The first few days, the nekos had taken turns staying up with him, but neither had been sure if he would even pull through. When he had, though, Atem had put his son in charge of teaching him.

"You remember what to do, right? Take it slow, but not too slow."

"And when I catch it, can I give it do Dad?" Yugi looked up at him hopefully, not seeming to notice Yami's shocked expression.

"What?"

"Can I give what I catch to Dad?" Yugi repeated.

"Well, I guess so, but why do you want to?" Yami knew his father wasn't exactly fond of their new charge, and tended to avoid him.

Yugi's gaze dropped a bit. "Don't really think he likes me. But, he likes food, right? So, if I give what I catch, he likes me maybe?"

Yami took a second to piece together what he had just said. "Yugi, I'm not so sure that giving him your dinner will make him like you." He didn't want Yugi getting his hopes up, but he knew his father. They were lucky enough that Yugi was allowed to stay.

"Why not?" He whined, tail and ears drooping.

"Well, it's complicated. You see, he's very set in his ways, and . . . you're not exactly . . . a neko." He wasn't sure if Yugi was aware of the fact that he was a different species, but as this was the first time either neko had actually said it, he didn't think so.

"What's a neko?" Yugi asked, head tilted in confusion.

"Well, have you ever noticed that Dad and I change into animals that look like each other? We're nekos. You're a werewolf. That means you change into a different creature." He tried his best to explain in terms Yugi would be able to understand, but could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't doing that good of a job.

Their attention was diverted, however, as a rabbit hopped out from the underbrush about fifteen feet from them. Yugi instantly sank to the ground and crept towards it excitedly. A bit _too_ excitedly, it seemed, as he immediately stepped on a stick and chased it off.

"Aww. Almost caught it." Yugi whined, turning to face Yami.

"Don't worry. You can try again." Just as he finished, though, his ears perked up. Off in the distance, there was the sound of wind. Raising his nose, he managed to detect the scent of rain. "Alright, Yugi. You're going to have to make it quick. There's a storm coming."

"Storm?"

"It's when there's a lot of wind and rain and sand flying around. It makes hunting really hard, so we have to start heading back now if we don't want to get caught in it."

"Okay." Yugi pranced ahead, then seemed to remember he was supposed to be practicing his hunting, and lowered himself to the ground to stalk through the underbrush.

Yyyyy

"There you two are. The wind's picking up. Get in the cave." Atem greeted the pair upon their return.

Yugi bounded immediately up to his surrogate father and, with bursting pride, displayed his first hunt for him to see; a small kangaroo mouse. He deposited it at Atem's feet for him to eat, but felt his stomach drop when the older neko just looked at it awkwardly.

"Um, no thanks. You can have it."

Yugi slowly bent down to pick up his meager catch as Atem rounded them up and into the cave. He had tried so hard to catch it, falling down so many times, just so he could present the one who had taken him in with a sign of gratitude. He knew it was small, but he had tried- wait. Was that the problem? Had it been too small? He knew that the two nekos were bigger than him, as were their meals, so maybe that had been the problem. Well, he would just have to fix that.

Yyyyy

 _Crash! Boom_!

Yami woke up with a start. The storm was really starting to get bad. It was so dark outside that he couldn't tell if it was night or day, but something was wrong. It hit him suddenly; the spot next to him was cold! Yugi wasn't there!

"Dad! Wake up! Yugi's gone!" Yami bolted over and shook the large, dark panther. A minute later, both were running out of the safety of their cave, side by side.

"Why in Ra's name would the runt take off in weather like this?"

"I don't know! _Yugi!_ " Yami hollered, turning his face in an attempt to protect it from the stinging wind.

" _Runt!"_

All of the sudden, they noticed a shape moving towards them. Loping over, they both gasped when they saw that it was their werewolf. But not just him. Being dragged along next to him was a young boar, maybe half as big as Yugi himself was.

"Yugi? What is that? What were you doing out here?" Yami demanded worriedly as he ran over to the young Halfling.

"Dad didn't want the mouse 'cause it was too small. Wanted to get him something he'd want." Seeing Atem behind Yami, the werewolf grabbed the boar and dragged it over to him, not noticing the shocked expression on his face. "Caught you dinner. Better?" Atem was still trying to wrap his mind around what he'd just heard. What had the runt called him? How long had this been going on? But he snapped out of his wonderings when he noticed that the young face in front of him was searching his own, almost desperately, at this point, for any sign of approval.

"Uh, thank you. This will keep us fed through the rest of the storm." Atem hadn't had much practice in thanking, but the bright smile that erupted from the runt- Yugi's face reassured him that that had been the correct thing to say.

Yugi then yawned and, finding out how bad of an idea that was in a storm, began to spit out the sand that had blown in. Yami knelt, in his human form, beside him and picked him up, examining him for any injuries. It looked like he had fallen quite a bit, and there were some places that appeared to have shallow claw marks.

"Yugi, I want you to promise me that you'll never do anything like that again. You _never_ go out in a storm, alright?"

Yugi shifted to his human form, and yawned again, this time hiding it behind his hands. "M'kay. Can I sleep now?" He adjusted his position and rested his head on Yami's shoulder, already drifting off.

"He went out to go hunting?" Atem eyed the boar again.

"I was training him earlier today and he said he wanted to give you the first thing he caught. He was hoping it would make you like him." Yami shifted Yugi so that his sleeping form was protected from the wind and made his way back up to the cave. Atem remained where he was for a moment longer, before grabbing the boar and following them, mind flooded with thoughts.

Yyyyy One Year Later

Atem panted hard, pushing himself to go faster. He had to go faster. His pursuers were right behind him. Hunters, from the nearby village they went to on occasion, had had some sheep killed in the past several nights. There had been a pack of jackals roaming the area lately, but the humans were always looking for anything they could blame on Halflings. Rumors got around that there were some in the oasis near the village, and the next thing Atem knew, men were chasing him on horses and camels. He didn't dare go to his cave, for fear that Yami and Yugi would also become targets. But he couldn't just keep running forever. Putting on one last burst of speed, he rounded a large pile of boulders, and felt himself get knocked to the ground.

"Play dead." Whatever had landed on him whispered hurriedly into his ear. Instantly, he closed his eyes and went limp. He heard the man ride up and stop just as something gently made contact with his throat.

"Oi! Step away from our neko, ya hermit!"

His savior, he now recognized the voice as the teenaged Yugi's, moved in front of his 'corpse'. "No!"

"What was that? Do you have any idea what that is?" The other voice returned.

"Dead! And my family's dinner. Now get out of our oasis before I call them!" Atem was surprised to hear that the werewolf's voice didn't waver once while addressing the group of men.

"I don't think so. Now step away, or your 'family' will find you like we all found our sheep. Dead."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" One of the man's fellow hunters spoke up. "I mean, what if he's not bluffing?"

"Oh, he's bluffing. Have you ever seen smoke from a fire out here? And what about their livestock? Do you really think a family big enough to take us on would be able to rely on hunting whatever wanders into these trees to survive? He's alone. Trust me." Atem had to fight very hard to remain 'dead'. It sounded like they were going to be left with no choice but to fight their way out of this.

"Too bad for you, you're wrong." Yugi returned. "If I were alone, why would I kill such a large meal? And my family is only settling here for a short while."

"Nomads?" The leader suddenly didn't sound so tough. Nomads were known for being well traveled, and, as such, well taught. People who had met nomads recounted stories about how they had known how to fight off wildcats singlehandedly, how they put their people through training until only the strongest had survived. But, the main reason to be wary, it was almost impossible to tell if the nomads you were encountering were human or werewolf, as everyone knew that werewolves were, themselves, nomadic.

"That's right. Now can I take my kill, or would you rather discuss the matter with my chief?" Atem bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. A bad decision for anyone with fangs.

"This ain't worth our time. Let's just go. You can keep your dinner, nomad. Just be sure to move along soon." The leader turned his camel and led the way out of the oasis, intent on finding out just who had spread that false rumor about Halflings this close to their village.

"They're gone. You can get up now." Yugi said.

Atem sat up, only to discover that he had a vine wrapped around his neck. A vine filled with several pieces of sharp bamboo. Efficient for trapping prey; the faster and larger the creature is, the deeper and quicker their throat is punctured. Yugi must have slipped it on him to make it look like he had just run into his trap.

"Oh, sorry. Let me get that for you." Yugi carefully lifted the noose off of the neko's neck and set it up outside a nearby rabbit hole, most likely where it had come from in the first place. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine. Thank you. What were you doing out here, anyway?"

"I was just checking some of the traps I'd set up when I heard the commotion. I'm glad you're not hurt."

"To be honest, I'm a little surprised you managed to get rid of them peacefully. I was expecting a fight." Atem shook the sand from his fur.

"I've gone to the village enough times with Yami to know what the humans are afraid of. And I really didn't want to hurt them. They were just doing what they thought was right to protect their families."

Atem, in that moment, knew he had been wrong. Over a year ago, he had allowed this young Halfling the luxury of not dying in the wild with the promise of certain death for the instant he proved to be a monster. Now he was staring at the pup he had then so reluctantly let into his home, and he found he felt an odd mixture of pride and guilt. "Yugi?" He got the werewolf's attention just as he had turned away to finish resetting the trap.

"Yeah?"

" . . . I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I feel it needs to be said." He, as Yugi raised an eyebrow in confusion, took a deep breath and lowered his head in apology. "I take back everything I ever said about you. When I first decided to let you stay, I promised my mate in the afterlife that, should you prove to be the monster I had thought all werewolves were, I'd kill you myself. Going about raising you with that thought always in the back of my mind, I realize now, drew a barrier between us. I apologize."

Yugi let out a breath. His whole life, he had known this man, and not once had he ever asked for forgiveness. He had known what had happened to Atem's mate and, after hearing the story, had come to terms with the fact that the elder would never see him as anything but 'one of them'. But coming to terms didn't mean he had given up hope. He had still dared to hope that the one he looked up to so much would one day see him as another son. After all, he still called him Runt from time to time even though Yugi was just a bit larger than him, Halfling-form.

"D-does this mean I get to call you Dad now?" He asked cautiously, lest this moment prove to be some cruel dream he would wake from in a moment.

Atem smiled. "Yes. I was never sure why you stopped, to be honest, though."

Yugi dropped his gaze. "You didn't seem to like it very much. You always got that look on your face every time I did."

Atem sighed. "Well, not anymore. I've spent too long seeing you in a light you didn't deserve. It's about time I realized that one's actions don't define the whole species."

Needless to say, Yami was very happy to learn, when they returned, that his father and brother were going to be getting along a lot better in the future.

Yyyyy One Year Later

A chase involving a warthog. That had led Yugi to the village that particular day. The warthog had ended up running straight into their cave, where it had proceeded to destroy much of what they had. Most was easily replaceable, (they had made most everything themselves, anyway), but it had caught one of their blankets on its tusks and torn a large hole in it. Sure, they had fur, but the desert nights were freezing. Thus, Atem and Yami had stayed to clean up and salvage what they could, while Yugi took what money they had saved up from occasional trades with villagers to get a new one.

As soon as he stepped foot among the human dwellings, he sensed that something was wrong. People were avoiding eye contact with each other and hurrying to their destinations as quick as they could. Palace guards could be seen from time to time, apparently searching for something. Very few of the shops were open, so Yugi turned around to go back home. They could make do for a few nights until things calmed down here. Just as he was passing an alleyway, though, he heard something.

"Help me! Someone, please! Help!" Hearing the obvious distress in her voice, he followed his ears, watching as townspeople emptied off the streets at the cry for help. No one had any desire to offer their assistance. Not sure what he should make of their reactions, (they couldn't be afraid of him, as he was in his human form and nobody was even paying the newcomer any attention) Yugi decided to just focus on the female and jogged towards the screams.

Rounding the corner, he came upon a small, decrepit hut. Peering in through the window, he saw a woman, tall and beautiful, even though she was dirty and looked terrified. She was pressing herself as far into the wall of the one-room hut as she could get, arms clutched protectively around her chest- _no_! She had a baby! She was trying to protect the baby from . . . a man. Yugi could see him now. Ragged and filthy, several times as unwashed as the woman, he laughed as he brandished a long, sharp stone. Obsidian, Yugi determined as he caught sight of the gleam. He advanced towards them threateningly.

"You might want to shut up. Those guards won't be able to save you before I can get to that baby of yours." He chuckled again as the woman quit yelling instantly. "That's what I thought. Now, come here."

Yugi was unable to watch anymore. He knew he was going to be in so much trouble when he got back home, but that man was not going to let these two live. He had to do _something_. Not leaving time to think about his choice, he barreled through the door and crashed into the man. "That's no way to talk to a lady." He snarled.

The man, unfortunately, didn't lay stunned as long as he had hoped. Before Yugi could react, the man was back on his feet, plunging the stone into Yugi's chest. He let out a scream of agony, not even really noticing when it turned into a roar. Suddenly, the shack and everything in it was much smaller. The man was shaking, now as terrified as he had made the woman. Heart pounding in his ears, he swung his massive paw and knocked the man off his feet. "Run." He turned to the woman. She was staring at him, wide-eyed. "There are some palace guards in the area. They'll help you." Without another word, she scooted around him and fled as fast as she could go.

Yugi brought a paw up to his chest. He needed to get home. Luckily, the house was on the outskirts of the village, so he didn't have to avoid too many people. Unluckily, though, he still had to get through the expanse of desert between here and the oasis. He just hoped he could make it.

Yyyyy

"He should have been back by now." Yami paced up and down outside the mouth of the cave. He and his father had just woken up. They had gone to sleep knowing that Yugi liked to take his time among the humans, talking and occasionally helping them out. It wasn't the first time he had been sent out, only to return after the nekos had already gone to bed. This was, however, the first time he had still been gone when they had woken up. Something was wrong. "I'm going to go look for him." Yami turned and ran off. Yugi was his responsibility. He had been in charge of teaching him, helping him, pretty much raising him. He knew when something was wrong.

He made sure to keep an eye out as he ran through the trail they took when going to the village. He was almost to the tree line when he, along with all the blood in his veins, froze. There was a large, dark shape lying among the bushes.

"Yugi?" He took a step closer; praying to every God he knew about that this wasn't his brother. The shape whimpered and turned it's had slightly to look at him, and his heart sank. It was Yugi, looking not unlike how he had been when Yami had first found him two and a half years ago. "Oh, my Ra. Yugi, what happened?" He dropped to his knees and began searching for injuries. The long fur was hard to search through, but he eventually pinpointed the puncture wound on his chest.

"W-woman. Sh-she was going to be at-attacked. Had to . . . help her. She had a b-baby." Yugi tried to convey his story, but Yami could see that he was fading fast.

"Yugi, you're too big for me to carry. Do you think you could shift for me? I need to get you home." He tried his best to keep his voice steady, but knew that Yugi could tell he was panicking.

" . . . 'll try." Yugi grunted. A second later, he lay on the sand, no longer bigger than Yami. Just a small, vulnerable, human. Yami scooped him up as carefully as possible and hurried home.

Yyyyy

Atem nearly had a heart attack when Yami ran in. He, too, had had a feeling that something was wrong, but as Yami was the faster runner of the two, felt that he was better suited to getting out the medical supplies they had left just in case. Unfortunately, it appeared they would be needed.

"Dad! Help!" Yami ran in and set his brother down of the leaves they'd been using as a bed. As soon as he was set down, Yugi began to stretch and grow, shifting back into a werewolf. Father and son quickly got to work doing what they could to try and save him. After about an hour, they sat back and watched him sleep.

"Do you know what happened?" Atem asked, his voice soft.

"It sounds like he tried so save a woman and her baby from being attacked."

Atem was about to respond, when he heard something. It sounded like humans. "Yami, stay here. Don't let anything happen to Yugi." Yami nodded and shifted to his neko form, moving to stand in front of the injured werewolf.

The older neko then ran out of the cave, partially hoping it was the man who had done this to Yugi. He wanted to hurt him so bad. He paused after a while, though, when he noticed that it appeared to be a small group of men, calling out. Sneaking closer, he was able to hear what they were saying.

"Werewolf. Please, come out! We mean you no harm. Hello?"

Landing on a tree branch with a close view of the man, he was shocked to recognize the clothes of the palace guards. But, even more surprising was the man leading them. Pharaoh Set himself. Atem had only seen him once, and that had been back when he had still been Prince Set.

Making sure he was hidden from view, he raised his voice and hollered back, "What do you want?"

The four guards spun in his direction, moving to flank their leader, who just squinted into the darkness. "I'm here about the pair you saved yesterday."

"What about them. And why is the Pharaoh himself out here?"

"A few days ago, my palace fell under attack. As I was distracted, my wife's personal guards ended up being killed and she was left with no choice but to take refuge among the villagers. The man you killed had abducted her shortly afterwards. If it weren't for you, my wife and son would be dead. Some of the villagers spoke of an old rumor that you lived out here. I wish to offer you my thanks."

Atem was silent for a moment before stepping into the light of their torches. When everyone realized that they had not been speaking to a werewolf, they swiftly moved between him and their leader. "The werewolf you are referring to is my son. He's back home, injured. How exactly do you wish to thank him?"

The Pharaoh, not at all unnerved by the fierce stare being given to him by the large neko, waved his hand and ordered his guards to step out of his way. "I intend to offer him an invitation to come and live in the palace as a personal guard to my wife. Of course, he will be trained and kept under surveillance for a while, but I have known several Halflings in the past and they have all proven to be excellent guards."

"The choice is his. I'll take you to him, but only you. Your guards have too many weapons." Atem relented after deliberating for a while.

"Alright. Thank you." The Pharaoh took a torch from one of his guards and climbed off his camel. "A word of warning, though" he addressed Atem before leaving the clearing, "should I fall under attack, this entire oasis will be burned to the ground."

"I have no intention of causing you any harm unless you decide to make a move against either of my sons."

"Fair enough."

They set out, Atem leading the way. "Why are you here?" He asked, finally.

"To extend my thanks to your son." Pharaoh Set raised an eyebrow, wondering what the neko was getting at.

"When my mate was killed, I spent the next few months never letting our son out of my sight. Who, if I may ask, have you deemed trustworthy enough to leave care of your mate and offspring in?"

"I get what you're saying, but as pharaoh, there are places I go and people I meet with that would only put them in more danger were they to come along. They are safe where they are."

Atem began to climb up the hill to his cave, hearing the Pharaoh behind him. When he entered, though, the sight that met his eyes left him unable to breathe. Yami was seated across from Yugi, frozen and crying, gaze never leaving his brother's still form. Yugi lay where he had last seen him, but, as Atem realized with a sinking heart, his sides were no longer moving. Yugi was gone.

"I couldn't do anything this time." Yami whispered brokenly, not even noticing the human behind his father. "I couldn't do anything. H-he just-," the younger neko broke off in a sob and buried his face in his arms.

Atem moved as if in a trance over to Yugi and nudged his gently, then placed a paw on his side. No movement. No nothing.

"I am very sorry for your loss." The Pharaoh bowed his head. "If you two wish, you can come back with me. When you're ready, of course."

Atem barely turned in his direction. "Give me time to bury my son. I'll let you know our decision in a few days' time."

"Alright." He turned and left without another word.

The cave was silent for a while, save for Yami's occasional sniff or sob. Atem bent his head and rested it on the furry, cooling neck of the werewolf he had seen grow up. "After my mate died, I told myself I'd never allow another werewolf to rip my heart out. You just had to come along and prove my wrong, didn't you?"

Yyyyy Three Thousand Years Later

"Yugi, stop sniffing my lunch!" Joey held his burger out of his buddy's reach. "Geez, and people call _me_ a puppy." Everyone laughed. They were all eating their lunch on the roof of the school like most days.

Yami, however, was spacing off. For just a moment, he'd remembered the feeling of sand against his feet, his back heated by the desert sun, and the wild feeling of the wind as he ran alongside his father and brother. He shook his head, bringing himself back to the present, just in time to swat his twin's hand away as he tried to snag his cookies. It must have been a dream he'd had.

Yyyyy

This was the longest one-shot I have ever done and, I think, the saddest. ;-;

This is for my 150th reviewer for my other story, House Rules, PhantomBrat!

Please review and tell me your thoughts! :3


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